Chapter 147: I Want Your Family Fortune, Too
As the saying goes, you attract what you fear.
And what Zhou Fu feared most was a sudden bout of compassion from his workaholic machine of a boss.
“No…” He couldn’t quite bring himself to lie and say it wasn’t hard work, so he compromised: “It’s alright. It’s not that hard.”
Huo Qingyan asked again, “Is there anything I can help you with in your personal life?”
Zhou Fu was so spooked he took a small half-step back. He had thought Huo Qingyanās previous displays of empathy were terrifying enough, but he hadn’t realized the horror could level up.
Zhou Fu kept a straight face while shaking his head vigorously like a rattle drum. “No, President Huo, you’ve already helped me plenty. You paid the down payment on my house, the car is provided by the company, and my annual bonus is substantial. I have a house and a car; I lack nothing.”
In all his years as Huo Qingyan’s assistant, Huo Qingyan had never mistreated him. Sure, it was busy, and heād lost a bit of hair, but he actually derived a sense of happiness and satisfaction from the hustle.
Huo Qingyan fell silent.
Zhou Fu spoke up cautiously, “President Huo, if you have something to say, you can just say it…”
He was terrified whenever President Huo got gentle. He remembered the last time President Huo had been this gentle was when he asked him to help with a lieāeven though President Huo ended up exposing himself in the end.
Huo Qingyan realized he had frightened Zhou Fu, so he asked directly, “If you weren’t my assistant anymore, what kind of work would you want to do?”
“Are you firing me?” Zhou Fu’s eyes widened in shock.
“I’m leaving the Huo Group,” Huo Qingyan said.
“What?” Zhou Fu shook his head in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
Huo Qingyanās tone was exceptionally gentle. “You’ve worked hard all these years. Wherever you want to work next, just tell me, and I’ll arrange it for you.”
Zhou Fu: “…” Was he really about to become unemployed?
That night, press releases revealing that Bai Mu and Huo Qingyan were half-brothers began popping up one after another on the internet.
Someone even clipped the segment from Are You Happy After the Divorce? where Bai Mu had dissed Huo Qingyan and started spinning a narrative:
“If Bai Mu didn’t have some connection to Huo Qingyan, would a minor celebrity like him dare to come at Huo Qingyan like that? Plus, Jiang Su and Huo Qingyan are old friends, and Bai Mu is close to Jiang Su. This proves there’s a link between Bai Mu and Huo Qingyan…”
For a time, the news that Bai Mu was Huo Qingyan’s half-brother spread like wildfire throughout Qingyang City.
Shen Xiumo was the first to call Huo Qingyan.
“What is going on with those online rumors? Did the media collectively lose their minds? To dare fabricate stories about you!”
Huo Qingyan: “It’s true.”
Shen Xiumo: “!!”
Was his prediction about Huo Zhenheng’s illegitimate son coming to steal Huo Qingyan’s fortune actually coming true? Was he a hidden prophet?
“You want to acknowledge Bai Mu and bring him back to the Huo family?” Shen Xiumo asked. If Huo Qingyan hadn’t permitted it, those media outlets certainly wouldn’t have dared to publish everywhere that Bai Mu and Huo Qingyan were brothers.
Huo Qingyan: “Mm.”
Shen Xiumo: “Are you out of your mind? The Huo Group is such a massive piece of fat meat; anyone would be tempted. Bai Mu definitely wants to fight you for the family fortune.”
Huo Qingyan chuckled lightly. “If he wants it, I’ll just give it to him.”
Shen Xiumo: “??”
Huo Qingyan: “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
Shen Xiumo: “I want your family fortune, too. Why don’t you give it to me?”
Huo Qingyan slowly uttered a single word: “Scram.”
Shen Xiumo: “…” So much for their friendship.
Shen Xiumo thought Huo Qingyan was just having a mental short-circuit and talking nonsense.
But unexpectedly, early the next morning, he woke up to news that Huo Qingyan had personally admitted Bai Mu was his younger brother.
Even more explosive was that Huo Qingyan held a press conference announcing he was handing over full authority of the Huo Group to Bai Mu and had already transferred his shares to him.
The entire internet was in an uproar. Weibo crashed.
After the press conference, Huo Qingyan stopped going to the company.
Zhou Fu, who had already resigned, had his phone blown up with calls.
Countless reporters squatted at the entrance of the Huo Group, catching any executive or ordinary employee who came out for an interview.
As the assistant who had once been closest to Huo Qingyan, Zhou Fu only dared to go out fully disguised, acting stealthily for fear of being caught by reporters.
He had only gone to the community gate to buy a pack of cigarettes, yet on the way back, he constantly felt like someone was following him.
Zhou Fu looked back several times but saw no one, suspecting he was just being paranoid.
But when he reached his door, he heard someone call him from behind.
“Zhou Fu.”
Zhou Fu was so scared he frantically punched in his passcode.
Damn it, reporters these days are such perverts, following me all the way to my doorstep. I need to hide inside, fast.
The person behind him walked over. “Zhou Fu, did your ears stop working after you became unemployed? Didn’t you hear me calling you?”
Wait, that voice sounded familiar.
Zhou Fu turned around to look. “Jiang Licuan?”
Jiang Licuan leaned against the doorframe, tilting his head to size him up. “Yo, didn’t you used to call me Sixth Young Master Jiang or President Jiang? You’ve got quite the attitude now that you’re unemployed, calling me by my full name.”
“Aren’t names meant to be used?” Zhou Fu gave Jiang Licuan an expressionless look. “Move.”
Zhou Fu usually kept a straight face, looking strictly business-like. He spoke without personal emotion and maintained a strong sense of distance.
But right now, he was clearly emotional; both his tone and expression were a bit fierce.
However, Jiang Licuan wasn’t afraid at all. In fact, he found it amusing. He put his hands on his hips. “Hey, I won’t move!”
Just playing around…
Zhou Fu kicked him in the calf. Jiang Licuan hissed, clutching his leg and howling, while Zhou Fu took the opportunity to open the door.
Jiang Licuan reacted quickly and squeezed inside.
Zhou Fu pressed his lips together tightly, unhappily retrieving a pair of slippers for him.
Jiang Licuan put on the slippers and looked amazed. “They fit perfectly! Your feet are the same size as mine!”
Zhou Fu didn’t respond, mainly because he felt Jiang Licuan’s comment was incredibly boring. They were about the same height, so what was so strange about having the same shoe size?
“What do you want?” Zhou Fu poured him a glass of water.
Jiang Licuan guzzled the water down. “Come be my assistant! Name your price!”
“No,” Zhou Fu refused without hesitation. He couldn’t be bothered to deal with trivial matters all day long.
Jiang Licuan squinted and glared at him. “Are you going to Shen Xiumo’s place?”
Zhou Fu had no doubt that if he said “Mm,” Jiang Licuan would go fight Shen Xiumo right then and there.
So, he came up with a compromise. “I want to rest for a while.”
Jiang Licuan asked eagerly, “Rest for how long?”
Despite having a handsome face that didn’t look decentāsmiling with a wild abandon like a scumbagāZhou Fu thought Jiang Licuan looked exactly like a puppy right now.
“I don’t know.”
Disappointment appeared in the puppy’s eyes, and Zhou Fu even hallucinated seeing droopy ears on his head.
Zhou Fu couldn’t help but add, “I’ll tell you when I’ve rested enough.”
The puppy’s eyes instantly lit up.
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